Motherwell FC is pleased to confirm Gordon Crawford has joined the club as Physical Performance and Conditioning Coach.
Gordon, who lectures part-time at University of Stirling and is Head Coach for Triathlon at Beaconhurst School, is a highly experienced, award-winning coach who has worked with elite athletes and World Champions across a variety of sports over the last 25-years.
After a successful career in endurance running and gaining caps at cross-country and the track for Scotland and British Students, Gordon was appointed National Event Coach for steeplechase. Shortly after a successful period in charge, he was then appointed National Event Coach for endurance running whilst lecturing in Sport and Leisure at Motherwell College.
He left his post to take up a new role as Fitness, Strength and Conditioning Coach with Scottish Rugby, spending over six years with Edinburgh and Glasgow Rugby, the Scottish National side under both Jim Telfer and Ian McGeechan as well as the National Age Group Teams.
He left Murrayfield to join Active Stirling as Head of Sport with the remit to develop and deliver a professional sport and physical activity service, which would contribute to the health, wellbeing and quality of life of Stirling’s people and communities, based at the Sports Village.
During that time, he was also the Triathlon Team Manager and Coach for Triathlon as apart ‘Team Scotland’ at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and other international races. From 2007-2008 Gordon was Head Coach for Triathlon Ireland at the World and European Championships.
[pullquote]I am absolutely delighted to be part of the manager’s Coaching and Performance Support Team at Motherwell and look forward to helping the club develop and achieve further success.[/pullquote]
Around then he was also awarded ‘Triathlon Performance Coach of the Year’ for coaching some of the World’s top Scottish, British and Irish Triathletes, elite and age groups; both male and female triathletes.
He has coached the UK Ironman/70.3 Triathlon Champions; 2 x World and European Duathlon Champion and multi British & Scottish Champions in both triathlon and athletics. Gordon himself is a former Masters World, European, British and Scottish Champion.
Most recently, he has been working with the Scottish FA as a Fitness, Strength and Conditioning consultant in their Elite Performance Schools at Both Graeme High School, Falkirk and Braidhurst High School, and joins ‘Well on a full-time basis, with the aim of developing and improving the fitness, strength, speed and conditioning amongst the first-team, Under 20 and Academy squads and helping reduce the incidence of injuries as part of the clubs Performance Support Team.
Motherwell will also enroll Gordon in a PhD that will specialise in the subject of injury prevention and recovery.
Gordon told motherwellfc.co.uk: “I am absolutely delighted to be part of the manager’s Coaching and Performance Support Team at Motherwell and look forward to helping the club develop and achieve further success.’’
Manager Ian Baraclough added: “After a review of what we had in place at the club, it became clear we required provision in the area of injury prevention and strength and conditioning.
“I am so pleased to have Gordon on board; he is an experienced, supremely qualified but modern-thinking individual. From the moment I met him, I knew he was exactly the right person for the job. He blew me away with his knowledge and plans, but also his real desire to take on this project.
“He will help us not only in the short-term, but over the next five years as we look to ensure our first-team players all are individually prepared in the best way they can be, but also the whole ethos of the club down to the youngest Academy kid and the type of players we want coming through our ranks.
“We expect to see a real improvement in his area of expertise in the weeks, months and years ahead.”